My desert terrarium

I thought I would share a lil' bit of my weekend with you.

Over the weekend I created my very first desert terrarium. And I believe that this is just the beginning of something awesome! Learning to make terrariums has been on my lengthy mental to-do list for a long time.

It was so meditating for the mind. I really enjoyed arranging the pebbles, dirt, sand, and succulents. It took a few attempts to place them to be pleasing the eye. It's an art form. Collaging in a sense. One thing I learned is that you really have to be patient when creating a terrarium. Kinda in a nerdy bonsai trimming way. I used two adorable succulents, on the left "Babies Toes",  my favorite new succulent discovery. Too funny. And I added a few souvenirs from trips to Oregon's ocean beaches.

For the longest time I've been fascinated with nature being encapsulated within a structure. I probably first became aware of concept (on a much larger scale) as a child, from The BioSphere 2 in Tucson, Arizona in the early 90's. Then in yearly visits to the immaculate Lied Jungle & Desert Dome at Omaha's Zoo.

Some of you out there may have pondered the idea of making your own terrarium. Maybe wondering how to go about it. Well I began by reading a post on Indie Bliss for wedding centerpieces. The photos on there are fantastic and inspirational. I do recommend reading the responses at the bottom of the article. There are some great tips in there.

I also discovered this video on Martha Stewart's site that is worth watching. Arrested Development fans will get a kick out of watching Jeffrey Tambor side kickin' it with Martha. Click on the image above to redirected to the video.

She's crafty!

This last weekend was incredible. I'll cherish it in my heart always, as mushy as that sounds. I want to send out a huge thanks to Cathy and Torie for organizing such an awesome show! And lest we not forget... to you all that came out and supported it! Crafty Wonderland is definitely a staple in making Portland what it is. I'm so thankful to be able to experience it. So much creative talent at the event. It was so cool to see the faces behind shops that I have favorited on Etsy. I wish I had a chance to go around and meet more of you!

I took many photos of the weekend. You can check them all out on my Flickr. I posted a few below too.

Thanks to my friend Heidi for capturing this shot! www.heidihoffmanphotography.com

Make Something Awesome Area organized by Hello Craft

People a shoppin'. I got to sneak out of my booth when it was quiet for a moment to snap a photo.

A clustering from the Month of Love

The month of February has flown by. One single post won't even cover half of what I have been up to this month. Hopefully next month I will be better about updating more often. Cluster o' items...

I love cameras. I've been giving my digital Rebel some attention this month. I'm sorry to say that in the past 6 months it has taken the backseat. I kinda forgot about it and have been distracted with a convenient digital point & shoot that can be easily slipped into my pocket. I started missing the quality of Sir Rebel, so this month I made it a priority to snap photos left and right with it. Actually all the photos posted on this entry are taken with it. I've been thinking about getting back into photography. I've had my eyes on another camera too... ever since I saw Zooey with her jogging camera club crew in Griffith Park in the flick, Yes Man. I did some research earlier this month and discovered that they use a Fujifilm Instax mini7. I can't wait to get my lil' hands on one of these some day.

I love Thursdays. In fact every Thursday morning of this month I've had coffee+drawing club with some lovely friends. To be exact, I have drawn 7 herbs in my sketchbook to be included in my Herb Series. Most of which haven't made it yet from the sketchbook... to the scanner... to the Illustrator. Thus far, rosemary is the only one that has gone through the steps.

Rosemary print :: 8" x 10" :: View in Etsy Shop

"Primarily a meat herb, as used on the roast of beef, rosemary is the leaf of an evergreen shrub and shaped like a curved pine needle. It has a fresh, sweet flavor, is better fresh from the garden than when dried. It is excellent with lamb, fish, and poultry."

I love Spark Cards. I'm thrilled to announce that my greeting cards are on their sleek shelves, ready to be snagged by the nearest set of hands. Spark Cards features greeting cards created by local artists. Many are printed using artisanal methods — letterpress, screenprint, lino block, and hand assembled one-of-a-kind collage.

Spark Cards :: 4430 SE Hawthorne Blvd :: Portland, Oregon

Herb Series & Standard Movement Series greeting cards

I love earrings. I handmade a bunch of new earrings over the month. They will appear in some upcoming craft shows this spring in the Stumptown area. Some will gradually be listed into the Etsy shop.

Little Beavers, Little Tree Stumps v. 2 :: earrings :: View in Etsy Shop

I thought I'd end with some bulleted miscellaneous items that I have discovered & hearted over the month.

• Calimyrna Figs from Trader Joe's • Design Milk article on Wayne Coyne's (of The Flaming Lips) bathroom (more info...) • Happy Sparrow on Belmont • Community meeting about Last Thursday on Alberta (more info...) • Snapple Green Tea Mango • WEST exhibit at Land Gallery on Mississippi (more info...)

Last Thursday on Alberta

When my husband & I visited Portland for the first time, we checked out all of it's awesome neighborhoods, including Alberta. I fell in love with it's telephone poles covered in show posters, it's street art, and it's quaint art store Collage.

A street art find on my first visit to Portland, back in Fall of 2007.

A few months after moving here we learned about and checked out Alberta's monthly event, Last Thursday. It was so awesome to see such a lively event for blocks and blocks. Food, unique art, live & obscure music are definite staples of the experience.

My wish to participate and sell my handmade goods and art is going to be a reality! I will be joining 2 other artisans, Little Bear and Camp Smartypants this Thursday evening (which happens to be tomorrow). So if you are in the area, definitely stop by and make an appearance. I love meeting fresh faces. Also, if you have a minute do check out Little Bear and Camp Smartypants' Etsy shops.